


Pampering

by juniperallura



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, M/M, PJO AU, Percy Jackson AU, keith - Freeform, klance, lance - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-01-15 09:15:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12318090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juniperallura/pseuds/juniperallura
Summary: For prompt "can I get uhhhhhhhh pjo au Lance forcing his grungy boyfriend to do a face mask"Ft. some Aphrodite kid Lance shenanigans





	1. Chapter 1

Lance emerged from the bathroom with a contented sigh. The thick clay of the mask was soothing and cool against his skin, smoothing away a hard day of sweaty combat training and a nearly fatal attempt at rock climbing. Fresh tulips from the Demeter cabin clustered in the cabin windows, sending a wave of sweetness through the air with every summer breeze that fluttered the lace curtains. Somewhere in the distance an Apollo camper was playing a lyre, its melody drifting down into the valley

Lance sucked in another deep breath, letting it go in a smile. “This cabin is paradise. Aren’t you relaxed already?”

“This cabin is a nightmare,” Keith grunted, perched on the edge of Lance’s hope chest with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. His eyes darted around the room as a scowl pulled at his sharp features. “The fumes are noxious.”

Lance rolled his eyes. “ _Yours_  is a nightmare, and I’ve been to the Hades cabin.” He shuddered, thinking back only a few hours to when he had marched over to the Ares cabin to collect Keith for a little R&R time before dinner. One peek inside the door was enough to send him reeling; armor and weapons thrown haphazardly on the floor (it was a miracle they ever passed cabin inspection,) angry red accents on the bedding and walls, and something smoky hanging in the air. From then on he decided throwing pebbles at Keith’s window would be his preferred method of boyfriend-summoning, although he’d have to be careful of the landmines. Like he said, a nightmare. “I know the pink trim is tacky, but it’s at least peaceful in here, right?” He gestured around the cabin, empty except for a few of his siblings draped over a bed in the corner flipping through magazines. 

Keith sighed, finally uncrossing his arms. “Yeah, I guess it is quieter…”

“That’s the spirit! Now-” Lance grinned, holding up a Mario Badescu container in one hand and a headband in the other- “Let’s get you pampered!”

“Here we go,” Keith said mournfully. He tilted his head up, squeezing his eyes shut as Lance stretched the headband over him and pushed back his bangs. His eyes flew open when he felt a pair of lips smack against his forehead. “Augh!”

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it.” Lance chuckled, still leaning down to stare into Keith’s stormy gaze, for once unobstructed by dark locks. He’d never noticed how long Keith’s eyelashes were, framing the gentle curve of his eye and batting angrily at him. Lance murmured, “You have beautiful eyes, y’know.”

Heat pooled immediately in Keith’s cheeks. Nothing could make him blush quite like his boyfriend- a son of Aphrodite no less- calling him  _beautiful_. Like Lance was one to talk; even with that goo all over his face he was still gorgeous, his own eyes blue and sparkling like the ocean. “Just put the mask on,” Keith grumbled.

Lance happily obliged, scooting Keith over on the chest to sit knee to knee with him. Keith seemed to finally relax under his touch, the furrow in his brow melting away as Lance gently spread the clay over his face. “I helped Nora- Hecate Nora, not Hephaestus Nora- put a little skin care magic into this, so it’ll either work wonders or we’ll both erupt in boils tomorrow.”

Keith opened one eye to give Lance a mischievous look, “I hope its boils.”

Lance snorted, nudging him with his elbow. “Okay, one more thing- purse your lips…” He rooted around his bedside drawer until he found his lip balm. He dipped a finger into the tin and gently dabbed it against Keith’s puckered lips. A thrill ran through his veins at the touch, more soft and intimate than he could have ever imagined being with the scrawny, brash Ares camper he had first met a few years ago. But there he was, Keith’s hand absently around his waist and his warm breath tickling Lance’s wrist. 

“All done,” Lance whispered. He laid his hand gently against Keith’s chest so this time the touch wouldn’t be a surprise. Careful not to smudge his mask everywhere, he leaned in and pressed his lips against Keith’s, tender and soft. He felt Keith’s arm tighten around him, drawing him closer as he met Lance’s kiss. Lance wanted to pull him in tight, tangling together until he could feel Keith’s heartbeat against his chest and smell the smoky musk that wafted from him— but then his mouth started to taste like face mask. “Okay,” he pulled himself away and stuck out his tongue with a fake gag, “The make out session is gonna have to wait.”

Keith grinned at him, “See? Another reason I shouldn’t have let you talk me into this.”

“Oh please,” Lance scoffed, getting up from the bench, “I need to rinse mine off, but you still have a few minutes. Don’t you feel great right now? Can’t you feel the hydrating power seeping into your pores?”

As he headed into the bathroom he heard Keith tentatively call, “Uh… yeah, sure,” but when he returned to the room his boyfriend was leaning back against the bedpost, eyes closed and a peaceful smile on his face. 

Lance had to clamp a hand over his mouth to stifle a giggle. Keith just looked so  _cute_ ,so absolutely different from the determined strategist in Greek armor he’d seen countless times on the Capture the Flag field— not to mention there was something hilarious about seeing Keith, in his prized  _Green Day: American Idiot_   _Tour_ t-shirt, surrounded by lace and flowers and covered in green muck. Without thinking, Lance grabbed his Polaroid camera (a un-monster-attracting alternative to Snapchat) and took a picture.

At the sound of the shutter Keith’s eyes snapped open.  He turned to Lance with a murderous gaze, glaring at the camera like it had just stabbed him in the back.  “Did you just-?” 

Lance looked back and forth from Keith to the photo developing slowly in his hand. “Uh…no?”

“ _Lance!_ ” 

Keith jumped up but Lance dodged his wild snatch at the last second. A loud scuffle ensued, Lance hurtling over furniture with the picture held at arm’s length while Keith scrambled close behind, hurling vows for revenge in the name of Ares. Eventually Keith managed to pin Lance (who was regretting slacking on his training) in a corner and grab the photo. He climbed triumphantly onto Lance’s hope chest, holding the incriminating Polaroid aloft. “Ha! It’s like Capture the Flag all over again,” he grinned.

Lance froze, catching his breath and trying not to make any sudden movements that would startle Keith into tearing up such a hilarious keepsake. He bit his lip, about to start groveling— but then he was struck by an obvious idea. “Okay, Keith, you win,” he flashed an apologetic smile, holding up his hands in defeat, “I can never beat you at this kind of stuff. So…how about you drop that dumb picture and go wash off that mask so I can give you your victory kiss?” He gave an extra ring to the last words, tilting his head with a coy smirk.

Keith’s expression softened to a dreamy smile. The photo fell from his grip as he stepped down from the chest. “Sure thing,” he said, pecking a kiss against Lance’s cheek as he shouldered past him toward the bathroom.

Lance pumped his fist victoriously, jumping to grab the picture as soon as he heard the faucet running. “Pidge and Hunk are gonna  _freak,_ this is gold!” 

Just as the words left his mouth the sound of water stopped abruptly. “Wait a second-” Keith appeared in the doorway, his face half covered with splotches of green and lips pursed indignantly. “Did you just  _charmspeak_ at me?!”

This time Lance knew to go right for the door, dashing toward the Athena cabin with Keith hot on his heels. His cry echoed across the green, “ _Pidge! Pidge! You have to see this! Keith’s gonna kill me!_ ”

“ _-Lance!_ ”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonus: Keith & Lance during rowing class

“Can’t you keep this thing steady?”

Keith glared toward the bow of the canoe, where Lance sat peering into a compact mirror, his pinky finger poised to dab some kind of shiny balm on his lips. “Do you have to do that now? In a boat?” 

_Where had he even pulled that mirror from? Did he just keep lip balm in his swim trunks?_

Lance looked at him in the compact, his eyes the same deep blue as the summer sky. “When else am I supposed to do it?” he asked, rolling his eyes as if the answer were obvious. “Just cool it with the rocking, samurai.”

Maybe it was his father’s doing, giving him an extra vindictive twinge in that moment— or maybe Keith really was just an asshole. But, whichever it might have been, he felt a sudden urge to tip their canoe and send Lance toppling into the water. So he did. 

“Whatever you say, pretty boy.”

Lance caught one glimpse of Keith’s wicked smile in the mirror before he grabbed the sides and threw all his weight to one side. He heard Lance shriek his name before they both plunged into the lake. 

The cool water swallowed him for a minute before he burst back onto the sunny surface, throwing his arms over the overturned canoe. He pushed his dripping hair off his forehead, throwing his head back in laughter as Lance flopped onto the boat across from him. 

“ _Keith!_ I’m gonna _-_ kill you…”

“Kill me? Isn’t that my line-?” When Keith looked over at Lance he expected to see a scowl worthy of a fellow Ares camper, sparks flying from his bright eyes. But Lance was just staring at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, still trying to catch his breath. Keith’s smile faltered. “Are you okay, Lance?”

“I hate you for tipping us. But-” Lance’s face colored, the corner of his mouth tugging upward. “I can’t really be mad at you when you laugh like that.”

Something skittered in Keith’s chest. Lance grinned at him, looking like an angel of summer with his glowing skin and crazy blue eyes and shining hair that was starting to curl in ringlets around his face. “Gods,” Keith blinked, “That is so lame.” He reached across the canoe and grabbed Lance’s collar, pulling him close and kissing him deeply. Lance made a small noise of surprise in the back of his throat, but Keith felt him smile against his lips and gently cup his chin. 

“ _Terrible!”_

A shrill whistle cut across the lake, nearly sending Keith and Lance back into the water as they jumped apart in surprise. 

Over on the dock, Allura stood with one hand on her hip and the other pointing accusingly at them. “First you tip the canoe, and now you’re trying to make out? What if the water was filled with cetea? You’d both be  _dead!_ ” She shook her head as some naiads and the other canoeing campers giggled. “You fail, both of you! Get out of the water and go dry off.” She gave another harsh trill of her whistle.

“Since when are we graded for all this?” Keith glanced over at Lance, who shrugged. 

“Who cares,” Lance said, squeezing his hand, “It was worth it.”

After wading out of the lake to dock their boat, snorting as Allura rolled her eyes, they collapsed together on the grassy shore with satisfied sighs. The July sun shined down on them, slowly drying their clothes as Lance nestled into Keith’s shoulder. His skin was warm and sticky against Keith’s, but he didn’t mind. Keith ran an absent hand through Lance’s locks. 

“Your hair looks cute curly, y’know,” he murmured.

Lance turned to kiss him on the cheek. “I should still kill you for ruining my hair,  _y’know_.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another bonus, done for a friend!  
> Some snippets of Keith & Lance through the years at CHB  
> (ft. Hades!Allura)

The sun burned hot and bright that day, its rays uncut even by the breeze coming off Long Island Sound. Keith stood, taking a quick break from strawberry picking to stretch his back and wipe off his sweaty forehead. His mop of dark hair was baking, the long pieces in the back sticking to his neck. He would have killed for a hair tie, even if he thought he looked kinda dumb with a ponytail. Looking down at his arms, he might have maimed for some sunblock, too. The gardening gloves were definitely gonna give him some weird tan lines.

Still, he didn’t mind gardening duty that much. Sure, he’d rather be dodging lava on the climbing wall or getting to stab something in javelin practice, but at least he could get away from his cabin for awhile. He got along okay with a couple of his siblings, but two years after his arrival at camp he was still the scrawny underdog of the Ares kids. Their cabin leader alone had four years and about a hundred pounds of pure muscle on him, at just sixteen. 

Keith sighed. The heat was worth an hour of peace— except that it was hard to find any with some whiny voice constantly moaning and groaning. Every two minutes a loud huff would come from a dark head a few rows over, followed by a stream of complaints about the heat and the work and the bugs and the humidity and the blah blah  _blah_. Every time the summer silence broke Keith’s nerves tightened a little more, until finally he snapped. 

“Will you just  _shut up_?” he cried, “We get it, it’s hot! You don’t need to remind us every two seconds!”

Some of the other campers near them in the field froze, glancing between Keith and the kid who stood and turned to face him. 

Keith recognized him vaguely; Lance, he was pretty sure. They were about the same age, but a satyr had only brought the kid in a few days ago. They hadn’t been in any activities together, so Keith had only seen him as a shadow during the nightly sing along. In the day he was tan, with startling eyes as blue as the sea that stuck out against his orange Camp Half Blood shirt. Lance crossed his arms over his chest, scanning Keith up and down with an expression somewhere between a pout and a scowl. “What did I ever do to you? It’s not my fault they made me work in this dumb field.”

Keith felt a burning sensation creep slowly from his chest to his face. It felt different from the angry kind of heat he usually felt, the kind that always washed over him when he entered the Ares cabin, or the stinging heat of the sun; this burn made his stomach feel like jello when he met Lance’s gaze, and- for reasons he couldn’t explain- it made him even more annoyed. “I said to shut up,” Keith barked, his face scrunching up. He followed the urge to pick up a strawberry and peg it at Lance. “ _You’re_ the dumb one!”

Lance gasped when the berry hit him square in the chest, making a red stain over his heart. “You’re so lucky this shirt isn’t even cute! You- grease ball!” Lance hesitated for a second before he scooped up a piece of retaliatory fruit. Soon he and Keith were throwing strawberries and insults as fast as they could manage, while the other campers looked on with interest at their squabble. 

“-Hey!  _Hey!_ ”

A voice broke through their bickering. A girl with chin length hair and big hoops marched up to them. “Stop it, both of you!” Shay, daughter of Demeter and resident strawberry-grower, threw up her hands. “You’re stressing out the plants!”

Keith and Lance shared a momentarily incredulous look.

“ _Lance_  was already doing that- I was just trying to shut him up,” Keith said, dropping his berry projectile back into his basket.

“Well Mullet Boy was-”

“Stop!” Shay held up her hands again, causing the plants around them to perk in attention. “Just stop! Get out of my garden, both of you. Now!”

They stuck their tongues out at each other before trudging off in opposite directions. Shay shook her head and returned to her gardening, muttering, “Boys.”

Later that day, at dinner, cries arose when one of the campers at the Hermes table started to gleam with a pink aura. There were ooh’s and ahh’s and some clapping, and when Keith craned his neck he could see Lance being welcomed at the Aphrodite table with lots of squealing and hugging. Unlike Keith, who was red with sunburn, Lance had a glowing tan (literally) and his eyes seemed to sparkle, his hair to shine. That stupid burning crawled up Keith’s cheeks again, but when Lance caught his eye he just stuck out his tongue again, trying to force down the feeling.

* * *

 

“Allura, you  _have_  to help me-” Lance groaned, flopping down on the grass at the edge of the strawberry field. “I don’t know what to do.” He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes for a moment, soaking in the summer sun’s warm rays. When he peeked from the corner of his eye he saw Allura drawing her legs close as she settled into the shade of the bushes that lined the fields. “You don’t wanna lay out with me?” he asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

“Nah,” she shrugged, “I’ll stay in the shadow, more comfortable.”

“Gods, you’re so emo,” Lance muttered, warily eyeing the Stygian iron blade that rested beside her. 

Allura smiled mischievously at him. “Is that why you had such a huge crush on me? You’ve got a type.”

Lance’s face flushed red. “Di immortales! First of all, it wasn’t a ‘huge’ crush. And second of all, I was like twelve so it doesn’t even count-”

Allura giggled, “Oh really? Then why did you tell everyone you thought I was the prettiest girl at camp?”

“That was unrelated,” Lance waved his hand dismissively, “That was just to stir the pot with Nyma, ‘cause she was telling everyone in the Hermes cabin that you-” He glanced quickly between her and her blade- “Well, nevermind.”

“Lance!” Allura gave him a playful nudge. “What did she say? You have to tell me! I  _knew_  she was spreading rumors about me, she was jealous because I-”

Lance fell back into the grass, groaning again. “Allura, who cares? This is an emergency!” He threw his arm over his eyes. “I like  _Keith_ ,” he said, hissing the name, “This sucks- he’s twice as emo as you ever are! How did I fall for a boy like that? That hot-headed, mulleted-” Lance deflated with a sigh, his arm falling to his side. He glanced hopelessly up at Allura. “What do I do? It’s the last week of camp and I- I’m scared I’ll ruin our friendship if I say something.”

Allura’s smile softened and she laid her hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright, Lance. I know stuff like this is scary- the first time I got up the nerve to tell someone I liked them I almost melted into the Underworld by accident. But for whatever reason you and Keith seem to make a really good pair.” She shook her head, “I mean come on, you guys already bicker like you’re married.”

Lance bit his lip. “But what if he doesn’t feel the same way? I don’t think he’s ever even flirted with me, or anything.”

Allura raised a brow. “I’m not sure Keith’s even capable of flirting. But the way he talks to you- he’s a bit rough around the edges, but I can see that he likes you.” She gave him a warm smile, tilting her head. “It’s not the weirdest thing, right? Ares and Aphrodite?”

Lance grimaced, “Ugh, okay, I don’t need to think about our  _parents_.” 

“You know what I mean,” Allura rolled her eyes. Lance picked at the grass, his face still clouded with uncertainty. Allura reached for his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t be nervous, Lance. You’re a child of Aphrodite, just follow your gut.”

Lance’s gaze wandered toward the arena, where Keith was laughing with his cabinmates as they sharpened swords. The feeling in his gut was warm, glowing and growing as it sent a jolt to his heart. He clenched his fist, giving Allura a determined nod. “You’re right. I’ll do it tonight, after the bonfire.”

* * *

 

Lance shifted, nuzzling closer against Keith as he laid his head on his shoulder. Keith had his eyes closed, breathing in the sweet, still summer air. Lance was watching Keith’s profile, his fingers played idly with the fabric of his tank top. It was hard to believe he was looking at the same person he had gotten into a berry fight with only five years ago, in the same field on which they now laid. Gone was the scrawny, bruised-up kid scrambling to be accepted by his cabin mates; the Keith who had his arm around Lance was leanly muscled, his angular features filled out, his long hair swept into a ponytail. Sure, he was still a hot-head and a loner, but now he was a Cabin Leader, sure of himself and his abilities, and- at times like this- impossibly soft and sweet. 

“-What are you thinking about?” Keith murmured. 

Lance hadn’t noticed him open his eyes, dark and searching. He reached up to run his touch over the side of Keith’s face. “Just about how many things have changed.”

Keith smiled. “Like what?”

“Like you, like us.”

“Me?” Keith let out a short laugh, “How have I changed? You  _still_  complain about my temper.”

“Yeah, but look at us,” Lance said, “Five years ago you couldn’t stand me!”

“Because five years ago you were unbearable,” Keith snickered. When his boyfriend pouted he rolled his eyes and leaned down to give him a peck on the lips. “Okay, you’re right. Things have changed- I wouldn’t have dreamed of kissing you five years ago. Four, maybe.”

“Four?” Lance grinned mischievously, “Ha! I only started liking you  _three_  years ago.”

“Yeah, cause you were so hung up on Allura,” Keith smirked.

“Oh shut up, you were just jealous.” Lance pursed his lips, pulling Keith closer.

“Maybe I was,” Keith said. Gently, he tilted Lance’s chin up and kissed him. As always, Lance’s lips were soft and sweet like the strawberry fragrance that hung in the August night. 

Lance wove his hand into Keith’s hair, sighing as he fell deeper into their kiss. By the time he pulled away, breathing heavily, their legs were entwined and faces flushed. Lance pressed his forehead against Keith’s. “I just don’t want things to change again.”

Keith frowned. “Why would they?”

“Well, y’know, it’s the end of summer. You’re staying here, I’m going back to school. I might not see you ‘til winter break and then it’s only a few weeks before we’re separated again and then I graduate and then-”

“Hey, hey-” Keith held Lance’s face in his hands, looking at him with a steady gaze. “Don’t freak out, it’ll be okay. We’ve done this before, right? It sucks, being long distance. But it won’t be too bad at camp, Allura’s staying— and apparently Coran’s  _very_  serious about our tutoring this semester so I’m sure he’ll keep us busy-” Lance met his eyes, mirroring his crooked smile. “And besides, you’re not too far, I can come visit. It’ll be worth one or two monster attacks, right?”

Lance couldn’t resist joining in his laughter, the gentle rumble coming from Keith’s chest soothing any worry in his heart. “I thought I was the charmspeaker,” he murmured, “You’re right, it’s too early to be lonely. We’ve still got one last night, at least.”

“Exactly.” 

Their eyes fell closed and their lips met just as the first of the night’s fireworks climbed into the sky and burst in brilliant red and blue.


End file.
